eLearning – Your Golden Ticket to Business Growth

If you are a small business owner or a sales professional, or perhaps, what I call a “solopreneur,” and you’ve survived the past few years in the worst economic downturn in recent history, then you are looking for ways to take it to the next level – to not only survive, but to thrive! I believe online training or what we call eLearning can be an extremely valuable tool if used properly.

Several questions beg an answer for a success-minded business owner.

1. Marketing Budget

The marketing landscape has morphed – almost while we weren’t looking – traditional methods just aren’t working anymore, even if we had the cash to throw in that direction. So, how do determine what to do…how do we prepare ourselves? Simply put – how do we spend our marketing energy and money?

2. The Social Media buzz

Another burning question at the top of the list for every small business owner is whether to jump on board the Social Media train. Is it just hype, the latest buzz words? Is it a waste of time…or just for youth, or mainly for grandparents wanting to see all the pictures of their kids and grandkids? Is it really beneficial for businesses? These are all questions that deserve an honest answer.

3. Getting Accounting Processes Under Control

Let’s move on for a moment to some in-house nitty-gritty issues that you know need attention in order to thrive this year. Maybe your accounting is a mess, and by June, you know you’re going to need serious help sorting it all out. Are you doing business straight out of your checkbook? You know you need a simple, easy-to-implement accounting software and you need it quick!

4. Sharpening Your Office Software Skills

Next, you KNOW that you should be making some spreadsheets to track important information. Perhaps you’ve been making hand-written lists and adding things up with an adding machine. You KNOW that Microsoft Excel is a dynamite tool, but how are you going to find time to take a class or work through a massive tutorial by yourself, with no one in sight to answer your questions?

5. Using Email Effectively

OK…you’ve been using email for awhile, and maybe even have an employee or two who uses it on a regular basis to communicate with customers and vendors. But, do you have that nagging thought that perhaps your company’s email communication needs an overhaul…that perhaps you’re sending the wrong message with simple errors which could be easily corrected. How do people get those nice electronic “signatures” at the bottom of their emails…how can I improve my image?

6. How Do I Market My Business Online?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) companies who know what they’re doing can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month…and it’s money well spent for the ROI. BUT…is there a cost effective way to do it yourself? The short answer is yes.
Read more below under “Solutions.”

Solutions

Now, these are just a few of the problems that a small business owner can encounter when considering how to grow his business and THRIVE in 2014. There are several ways to look at solving these problems.

On-site classes – either at the local college or seminars held by professional companies specializing in the specific area of expertise you desire and need

Private tutors – even hiring a college student who is proficient with some of the software you would like to learn

Your CPA – for help with setting up an efficient accounting system.

Online training – also called eLearning

For me, option #4 – online training – is the TICKET to growing your business in 2014. And here’s why:

No travel time or travel expenses

Flexible schedule – you work at your pace on your schedule

Low, low cost

When searching for online training, look for a company that offers training from a variety of experts, not just one or two people are doing all the training. Look for a company who will respond to you personally when you send an email or make a phone call. And finally, look for a company with cutting-edge, relevant material spanning a wide range of small business needs.

I’m a partner in such a company – Business Training Team. I’m proud of the training videos we have in our membership site. They’re in-depth and come with workbooks. I wish all this had been available to me years ago when I started my first business. I invite you to take a look: http://BusinessTrainingTeam.comEverything here is free. Be sure to look at the Archives on the right side.

If you want to do your own online marketing, using an computer savvy employee, a family member or even a college intern, please visit:

There is a small monthly charge, but you’ll save thousands of dollars in the long run. This training is much more intense than the free training on Business Training Team’s website.

This is for the truly serious company owner, and covers everything from soup to nuts in easy-to-follow steps. Videos and printable documentation are done in small “coffee-break-sized” training. Online marketing is not rocket science, but it is both a science and an art form. You don’t want to tackle it without a guide and without being sure what you’re doing is totally up-to-date. Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain excpect death and taxes.” I’d like to add my own twist on this…”Google will change the rules regularly and without notice.” My company, The Business Force, spends a lot of time and money to keep track of all the changes necessary for a small business owner to be successful online.

Thank you, Sheila, for your validation. Sue and I are putting a lot of work into making sure small business owners have affordable training. Keep an eye out for a new product we’ll be launching soon, where we’ll be taking a local business owner (lawn care and landscaping)from a ZERO presence online to getting him on top Google rankings. Our weekly training with him are in webinar form and will cover 26 lessons and hands-on training that other small businesses can follow along with. In fact, after just two sessions, he’s now in the top 7 rankings on Google Maps. I’m really excited about this. More to come…